I feel bad for the 1/3 cup. Most recipes instructions call for 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, or of course, 1 cup of flour. And the 1/3 cup is left in the drawer, alone.
It’s not even usable as a half measuring instrument. For example, if I need 1 cup of sugar, I could use two scoops of the 1/2 cup. Same with the 1/4 cup for a half cup. But how many recipes call for 1/3 cup of 2/3 cup of anything? Very few! I often wonder what its original purpose was. Did the 1/3 cup have a heyday and it’s since ended? Is it the MySpace or disco of the measuring cups?
Maybe I identify with the ignored baking utensil. It reminds me of middle and high school, when I was always picked last for the sports team in P.E. Nobody wanted Leah on the team. Not that I could blame them; I was far from athletic in those days. But it stung nonetheless, to be cast aside for the more “useful” players.
If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering why I’m writing an Instagram post about a measuring cup. And honestly, I don’t know. But it’s a thought I’ve had for decades. So today, I’m pay tribute to the forgotten hero of the measures, the 1/3 cup. As a fellow invisible player, it’s the least I can do.